Lid straightening and sealing tool



T A ril 4, 1933- J. z. HUMBERT 1,903,

LID STRAIGHTENING AND SEALING TOOL Filed Sept. 1, 1931 IN VENT OR BY JZjEGzmbe/z 5 @M ww4nomtm Patented Apr. 4, 1933 JACOB Z. HUMBERT, OF NQRTH CANTON, OHIO LID STRAIGHTENING AND SEALING r001.

Application mes September 1, 1931. Serial No. 560,647.

The invention relates to tools for straightening the sealing flange or lids for containers,

and more particularly to a tool to be applied to a'lid on a Mason jar for forcing the seal- 5 ing flange of the lid intosealing engagement with the usual gasket to effect a perfect seal around the entire periphery of the lid. j

The sealing flangeon the ordinary Mason H jar lid is extremely thin and flexible, and 10 therefore easily distorted and bent out of shape. Thus it often happens'in using new lids that a perfect seal is not efle'cted between the lid and gasket unless great force is applied in screwing the'lid on the jar, so as to force the flange down into the-gasket suiflciently to seal the bent portions of the flange. It is common practice, in removing the lids from Mason jars, to insert aknife or other sharp instrument between the sealing flange of the lid and the gasketto'permit air to rush into the jar, when the lidmay be usually re, moved with comparative ease. I This practice usually results in bending or distorting the sealing flange'ofith'e lidso thatit'may notbe used again withoutreshaping.

In the past, tools have been-' 'provided for reshaping the sealing flange of jar lids, said tools consisting of male and female dies between which dies the sealing flan-gel is straightened. With such tools, however, the lid must be straightened or reshaped before being applied to the jar, and the tool cannot be used satisfactorily to aid in the actual sealing of the lidupon the jar, after the lid has been straightened on the dies. 7

It has been proposed to provide a tool to be applied to the jar lid in position upon the jar, the tool having means for applying a downward pressure upon the sealing flange for straightening the same. In such case the perfectness of the seal is dependent upon the efiiciency of the straightening means, and in the event the flange is badly bentand has depressions therein, the straightening means does not satisfactorily straighten the flange because of the absence of a rigid forming die beneath the flange. i

It is an object of the present invention to provide a straightening and sealing tool which-may be applied to a jar lid in position on the jar, said tool having means for crimping the edge ofthe sealing flange into the gasket around the entire periphery of the lid. i Another object is to vprovidea straighten ing and sealing tool which, in the case'o'f badly distorted lids, may be first applied to the lid positioned on a jar with a forming ring located under the sealing flange] for straightening the flange, and then applied to V the lid positioned on the jar with the usual gasket to seal the lid thereon.

Another object is to provide a straightening and sealing tool which willsimultane ously seal and straighten the sealing flange, and which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture, requiring little or no skill and a minimum amount of exertion in applying it to a jar lid to effectively straighten and/or seal the same.

r The above and other objects are accompli'shed by the parts, methods and combinations comprising the present invention, which may be stated in generalterms as includinga cup-shaped sealing tool adapted to rotatably fit around a lid, thelower edge of the tool being adapted to ride upon the upper surface of the sealingflange, and the wall of the tool being provided with a de'-' pending tapered lug portion formed therein and adaptedto extend below and wedgably engage over the outer edge of the sealing flange to crimp the same downwardly inward intoa rubber gasket or around a forming die when the tool is rotated on the lid. 'l

A preferred embodiment of the present im- 1 provements is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in Which Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of the straightening and sealing tool; I

Fig. 2 isa sectional view of the tool as 0 line 2--2, Fig. 1; 1 j r Fig. 3 is an elevation view of the tool in position around the lid on a Mason jar, the tool being shown in section;

Fig. is a perspective view of the forming ring or dieto be used in connection with badly bent lids and I 1 Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the straightening tool in position to-form of the side wall 12 may have a knurled portion 13 for facilitating rotation of the tool by hand. The bottom 14 of the side wall preferably has its inner edge bevelled as shown at 15.

At one location on its periphery the side wall 12 is preferably depressed or indented to form a groove 16 in its outer surface and a correspondlng ridge 17 on ltsinner surface, the groove and ridge thus formed extending f upwardly a substantial distance from the botvention.

a with the usual gasket 24 interposed between tom 14 f the side wall 12. The bottom portion of the ridge 17 is formed into a lug por tion 18 depending below the bottom 14 of the side wall, and the inner wall of the lug portion 18 preferably tapers inwardly upward, as shown at 19, into the surface of the ridge 17.

Although only one ridge 17 is illustrated in thedrawing, it will be understood that a-plurality of these ridges may be formed without "departing from the scope of my in- The inner diameter of the tool is such that when placed over a Mason jar lid 20, the bevelled edge of the tool rests upon and conforms to the contour of the upper surface of the outwardly flared sealingflange 21, and the depending lug 18 extends below the bottom edge of the sealing flange 21 with the tapered portion 19 frictionally engaging the sealing flange. In this position the inner surface of the side wall 12 contacts with one or more of the threads of the lid 20 .at points preferably diametrically opposite the ridge 17, as shown at 22 in Fig. 3.

v In the operation of the tool, a jar lid 20 is screwed upon the top of a Mason jar 23 the sealing flange 21 of the lid and the retaining flange 25 of the jar. The tool 10 is then placed over the lid and occupies a position such as shown in Fig. 3. By grasping the knurled portion 13, of the tool, the operator rotates the same and the tapered portion 19 of the lug 18 frictionally engages the edge of the sealing flange 21. At the same time the bevelled edge 15 rides upon the upper surface of the sealing flange 21.

. As the operator rotates the tool, he exerts a downward pressure thereon, forcing the bevelled-edge 15 downwardly upon the sealing flange to aid in straightening the same, and causing the tapered portion 19 to wedgably force the edge of the sealing flange downwardly and'inwardly and crimp the same into the gasket 24; to effect a perfect seal therewith. I

If it is desired to use jar lids having sealing flanges which are very badly bent or distorted, the tool may be employed in the manner shown in Fig. 5 to first reshape and straighten the sealing flange.

A'split ringor forming die 26 is preferably formed of wire, as shown in Fig. 4, and first positioned around the neck of a jar 23 above its retaining flange 25 and at the base of the threads 27 on the neck of the jar, thus occupying substantially the position to be occupied by theusual gasket. The lid 20 is then screwed on the jar until the ring 26 fits tightly under the loweredge of the seal ing flange 21 of the. lid. [The'toolisthen placed over the lid, and upon rotating the tool, the lug 18 forces the sealing flange 21 inwardly against the ring 26"to reshape and straighten the flange around its entire peripheryj.: The lid 20 and'ring 26' may be then removed from the jar, the gasket positioned thereon, and the'lid screwed down onto the gasket; when by rotatively applying the tool to the lid in the mannerpreviously described and illustrated in Fig. 3, the sealing flange is crimped into the gasket to form a perfectseal therewith around the entire periphery of the lid. z V

It has been formdfthatbyusing the. improved sealing tool, the majority ofjar lids may be used over and over again with very satisfactory results, and that even though a new lid is somewhat bent upon being first applied, the tool willl straighten the sealing flange and crimp the. sameinto substantially perfect sealing engagement with the gasket. By using the splitring as one forming die and the improved tool as the other, it has been found that old lids, which are warped and distorted so asto ordinarily an outwardly flared sealing flange, said tool having a wall adapted to fit around the lid, the lower edge of said wall being adapted to ride upon the top of the sealing flange of the lid, and the wall having an inwardly tapered depending lug formed therein for engaging over the edge of the sealing flange.

2. A rotatable. cup shaped tool for straightening and sealingjar lids having an outwardly flared sealing flange, said tool having a wall adapted to fit around the lid, and the wall having an inwardly tapereddepending lug formed therein for wedgabl-y engaging over the edge of the sealing flange. 3.. A tool for straightening .the sealing flanges of jar covers and simultaneously sealmg the sam'eagainst the. gasket, said tool including an annular wall fitting around the lid and having a ridge on its inner surface, the lower portion of said ridge being tapered to frictionally engage over the outer edge of inner surface, and the lower portion of said ridge being tapered to wedgably engage over the outer edge of the sealing flange for crimping the same downwardly inward into the gasket.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JACOB Z. HUMBERT. 

